Posted in Casita Colibrí, Flora, Gardens, Travel & Tourism, tagged Bottle Brush tree, Callistemon, Christmas season, garden, Mexico, Noche Buena, Nochebuena, Oaxaca, photos, red flowering plants, terrace garden, trees on December 20, 2018| 2 Comments »
Yes, I know, the Poinsettia is the unofficial red flowering plant of the Christmas season — in Mexico, it even shares the name for Christmas Eve, Nochebuena. However, there is another red flowering plant that provides holiday color this time of year, the Bottle Brush tree (genus, Callistemon).
On the rooftop, my container-planted Bottle Brush tree.
Any way you look at it, it brightens the day and brings a bit of Christmas cheer to the garden.
Bottle Brush, the other red of Christmas!
Posted in Casita Colibrí, Flora, Gardens, Travel & Tourism, tagged Casita Colibrí, Crown of Thorns, flowers, garden, Mexico, Oaxaca, photos, roses on November 11, 2018| 6 Comments »
Day three of cut roses from the Mercado de Abastos. Gracias a Kalisa!
Crown of Thorns… new addition to the rooftop garden from the weekly Sunday plant sale in the Jardín Morelos.
Winter may be coming, but there are always flowers blooming in Oaxaca.
Posted in Agriculture, Casita Colibrí, Creativity, Flora, Gardens, Textiles, Travel & Tourism, tagged algodón, Casita Colibrí, cotton, cotton bolls, coyuche, flowers, garden, Katyi Ya'a, photos, plants, textile traditions, textiles on October 19, 2018| 7 Comments »
Not all cotton bolls are white…
Roberta French, who built my apartment complex in Oaxaca many decades ago, established a textile weaving business and planted coyuche (koyuchi), a natural brown cotton. She is no longer with us, but her plant survives and grows up onto my balcony. This time of year, the yellow, pink, and rose flowers bloom, die, form pods, and brown cotton fluff results.
And the results? Here, at my apartment complex, the plant is solely decorative. However, the traditional way of growing, spinning, and weaving brown cotton is still practiced in some communities in coastal Oaxaca, Mexico. And, I have been lucky enough to have been gifted an old huipil woven of coyuche and acquired a new one at an expo-venta here in Oaxaca city. If you would like more information on coyuche and its cultivation and weaving, I recommend checking out the Katyi Ya’a collective.
Posted in Casita Colibrí, Flora, Gardens, tagged flowers, garden, Mexico, Oaxaca, photos, plants, Stephanotis floribunda, terrace garden, vines on October 13, 2018| 2 Comments »
The late rainy season continues, but my garden brings sunshine to a cloudy day.
8:00 AM
5:40 PM
The Stephanotis floribunda reaches for the sky and brings the light.
Posted in Casita Colibrí, Flora, Gardens, tagged cactus, Cleistocactus, flowers, gardens, Mexico, Oaxaca, photos on October 9, 2018| 13 Comments »
Yesterday morning…
Cleistocactus
There are days when light and shadows paint the garden and I sigh at Mother Nature’s artistry.
Posted in Casita Colibrí, Creativity, Gardens, Travel & Tourism, tagged garden, loveseat, Mexico, Oaxaca, outdoor furniture, photographs, photos, recycled plastic, terrace, weaving with plastic on June 23, 2018| 22 Comments »
Once upon a time, I went to Linda Hanna’s house in San Andrés Huayapam — the B&B Casa Linda. In addition to running a B&B, she leads artisan tours, is a major collector of textiles, art, crafts, and you name it, AND holds occasional yard sales. I always try to attend the latter and always buy a thing or two or three or four. Thus, 2-1/2 years ago, this loveseat found it’s way onto the terrace of Casita Colibrí. Linda wasn’t sure where or when she originally purchased it and it had long been relegated to a bed for a member of her animal menagerie, as the palm had completely disintegrated on one side, leaving only the jute webbing to prevent one’s bottom from landing on the ground. However, it had “good bones” and I had fallen in love with it. I figured that with a couple of decorative pillows to hide the hole, it would look great and be relatively functional. They did and it was.
Over the course of the past couple of years, the elements have caused more wear and tear to the palm and the wooden frame needed work. Into the story comes Sebastián, of Talavera transformation, part 4 fame. As if it wasn’t enough to be a carpenter, stonemason, electrician, plumber, and glazier, he and his wife Elizabeth had taken classes in weaving with plastic and started a business — primarily making baskets/purses. A couple of months ago, he stopped by to show me their latest projects and I had an inspiration. Could they refurbish my loveseat? His eyes lit up, said yes, we talked colors and designs, and a few weeks later he hauled it away. On Wednesday, it came back home.
I suspect you are asking, why plastic when the palm looked so beautiful? Two reasons. Firstly, it was a spur of the moment decision, but I knew Sebastián, trusted the work he does, and loved the creative possibilities he showed me. Secondly, I’d bought the loveseat to live outside on the terrace (albeit, under the gazebo) and in the back of my mind, as the palm seat, back, and arms continued to deteriorate, I’d wondered if there might be something more long lasting that could be used. Thus, plastic. However, it’s not just any plastic, Sebastián and Elizabeth’s business uses recycled plastic.
By the way, they also refinished the wood, using a marine varnish to help contribute to its longevity. I think, in its new incarnation, my loveseat still looks right at home and what is old is new again!
Posted in Casita Colibrí, Flora, Gardens, Travel & Tourism, Weather, tagged African Tulip trees, bougainvillea, flowers, garden, Night Blooming Cereus, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, plumbago, popular travel destinations on June 11, 2018| 8 Comments »
June in Oaxaca city, the mornings are grey.
Bougainvillea
The sun eventually appears.
Plumbago
Afternoon clouds gather and thunder rumbles in the distance.
African tulip tree
Then darkness descends.
Night blooming cereus
Alas, this June only a minimal amount of rain has fallen. But the garden endures.
Posted in Animals, Casita Colibrí, Gardens, Science & Nature, Travel & Tourism, tagged Araneidae, Argiope, Casita Colibrí, garden, Mexico, nature, Oaxaca, orb weaver spiders, photographs, photos, spider webs, stabilimentum on May 31, 2018| 2 Comments »
X currently marks the spot in OaXaca — be it for HOT weather, blockades, or orb weaving spiders. Regarding the latter, another, in a long line of Argiopes, has chosen to take up residence on my terrace.
Fun fact: The purpose of the white zigzag of silk, known as a stabilimentum, is disputed. It reflects UV light and may act as camouflage, attract insect prey, or prevent larger creatures from accidentally destroying the web. Whatever the function, this gal’s (yes, it is a female) is one of the best I’ve seen!
Posted in Creativity, Culture, Food, Gardens, Markets, Textiles, Travel & Tourism, tagged artisan markets, chickens, grilled onions, market day, mercados, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations, rebozos, seeds, shawls, Tlacolula de Matamoros on May 26, 2018| 4 Comments »
Last Sunday at the weekly market in Tlacolula de Matamoros…
Chickens
Rebozos
Seeds
Lunch
It’s not just about produce, bootleg DVDs, tools, and underwear.
Posted in Casita Colibrí, Flora, Gardens, tagged cactus, Epiphyllum hookeri, flowers, Mexico, Night Blooming Cereus, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, plants on May 7, 2018| 2 Comments »
Act two of this year’s night blooming cereus extravaganza began the night of April 22…
Continued the night of April 26…
And, it looks like there will be more in a week or two!
Posted in Casita Colibrí, Flora, Gardens, Travel & Tourism, tagged Casita Colibrí, Flor de mayo, flowers, frangipani, gardens, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, plumeria, popular travel destinations on April 10, 2018| 4 Comments »
Plumeria (aka, Frangipani, Flor de mayo) currently bringing their fragrance to the Casita Colibrí terrace…
As the saying goes, April showers bring May flowers — even if it’s still April!
Posted in Casita Colibrí, Flora, Gardens, Travel & Tourism, tagged cactus flowers, garden, Mexico, Oaxaca, opuntia microdasys, photographs, photos, Spring on April 7, 2018| 4 Comments »
My Opuntia microdasys are blooming and, like the jacarandas, their blossoms are a subtle sign that spring has sprung in Oaxaca.
It is commonly known as “bunny ears” or, in Mexico, “alas de ángel” (angel wings) — though I can see nothing angelic about them and you certainly don’t want to pet those fuzzy looking paddles. Those glochids (hair-like spines) are nasty. I know from personal experience!
I have two large pots of them — one with white glochids and the other with yellow. However, despite my personal run-ins with them both, I’m still in search of the rust colored variety.
Posted in Animals, Casita Colibrí, Gardens, tagged birds, Bullock's Oriole, Casita Colibrí, fountains, garden, Oaxaca, photographs, photos on March 14, 2018| 7 Comments »
This morning’s ecumenical gathering of the birds at the fountain — seen through my (dirty) kitchen window.
I think the orange one is a Bullock’s Oriole — the first I’ve seen on my rooftop garden.
Posted in Casita Colibrí, Flora, Gardens, tagged cactus, Epiphyllum hookeri, flowers, Mexico, Night Blooming Cereus, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, plants on February 9, 2018| 6 Comments »
Posted in Casita Colibrí, Flora, Gardens, Science & Nature, Travel & Tourism, tagged agave, century plant, flowers, garden, maguey, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, quiote, terrace on January 31, 2018| 16 Comments »
While scientists were in the process of identifying four new species of agave, an agave on my terrace…
June 28, 2017
… had a surprise of its own.
July 23, 2017
Seemingly overnight, from its center, a stalk (aka, quiote) began reaching toward the sky.
July 23, 2017
After awhile, buds began appearing along the sides of the stalk.
September 18, 2017
And from the buds, the rainy season brought blossoms.
September 27, 2017
The flowers opened from bottom to top.
October 21, 2017
Eventually, all the flowers browned and seed pods began forming.
November 19, 2017
Who knows what I will find when I return to Casita Colibrí next week. What I do know is that this agave is now dying — but there are plantlets waiting to replace it! By the way, quiotes have traditionally been used for firewood (Maybe for my chiminea?) and even to make a didgeridoo-like musical instrument. (Hmmm… I don’t think I’ll try the latter.)
Mexican Peso Converter
